DAILY GK 19-20 JAN
1.
INDIAN-THAI NAVY’S BILATERAL
EXERCISE “EX-AYUTTHAYA”
·
The Indian Navy (IN) and
Royal Thai Navy (RTN) conducted
a maiden bilateral exercise, named ‘Ex-Ayutthaya’
·
The 36th edition of
India-Thailand Coordinated Patrol (Indo-Thai
CORPAT) was also conducted along with the Exercise Ayutthaya.
·
The word ‘Ayutthaya’
translates to ‘The Invincible One’ or
‘Undefeatable’,
·
The exercise is named symbolises two of the oldest cities – Ayodhya (Uttar Pradesh) in India and
Ayutthaya in Thailand.
·
This is in line with India’s vision of Security And Growth
for All in the Region (SAGAR).
2.
NHAI LAUNCHES ‘ONE VEHICLE
ONE FASTAG’ INITIATIVE
·
The National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) launched the ‘One Vehicle, One FASTag’
initiative to discourage user behavior
of using a single FASTag for multiple vehicles or linking multiple FASTags to a
particular vehicle.
·
Under the new initiative, FASTag users must discard all the earlier issued FASTags through their
respective banks.
·
Only the latest FASTag account shall remain active, as
previous tags will be deactivated or blacklisted after January 31, 2024, even though they have a valid balance.
·
FASTag is an electronic toll collection system, operated by
NHAI.
·
It uses Radio
Frequency Identification (RFID)
technology that provides users with a smooth and effortless cross-over at toll
plazas without waiting or halting.
3.
INDIA’S FIRST NATIONAL HIGHWAY STEEL
SLAG ROAD SECTION
·
Dr. V.K. Saraswat, Member (S&T), NITI Aayog (National
Institution for Transforming India), inaugurated India’s 1st National Highway Steel Slag Road section on National Highway(NH)-66 connecting
Mumbai-Goa.
·
The road was constructed by Mumbai (Maharashtra) based JSW
Steel, under the guidance of New Delhi (Delhi) based Council of Scientific
& Industrial Research (CSIR) –
Central Road Research Institute (CRRI).
4.
BEST FIFA FOOTBALL AWARDS 2023
·
The Best FIFA (International Federation of Association
Football) Football Awards ceremony 2023 was held in London (United Kingdom)
·
Lionel Messi (Argentina) won the Best FIFA Men’s Player 2023 Award,
while Aitana Bonmati (Spain) won
the Best FIFA Women’s Player 2023 Award.
·
Marta(Brazil)has been awarded the FIFA
Special Award for her outstanding career
achievements.
·
Guilherme Madruga(Brazil)has won the FIFA Puskás Award 2023 for his astonishing
overhead kick.
·
FIFA President – Gianni Vincenzo Infantino
·
Headquarters– Zürich, Switzerland
5.
NEW KING OF DENMARK
·
Frederik André Henrik
Christian (Frederik X) (55 years), Crown
Prince of Denmark, was
proclaimed as the new king of Denmark by it’s Prime Minister (PM) Mette Frederiksen.
·
King Frederik X takes throne after the abdication of his mother Queen Margrethe II at Christiansborg Palace on
14 January 2024.
·
Queen Margrethe II has become Denmark’s first monarch to
abdicate the throne in nearly 900 years.
·
Denmark:Capital – Copenhagen
·
Currency – Danish Krone
6.
INDIA
METEOROLOGICAL DEPARTMENT’S 150TH FOUNDATION DAY – 15TH JANUARY 2024
·
India Meteorological Department (IMD), under the Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES), celebrated
its 150th Foundation Day commemorating
150 years of its establishment and service to the nation.
·
Theme song of IMD, “Sarvajan Hitay Sarvajan Sukhay” i.e. “Commitment to work for
the Welfare of All” was also released
·
IMD Headquarters– Delhi
7.
GLOBAL FIREPOWER’S 2024 MILITARY
STRENGTH RANKING
·
According to the 2024 Military Strength
Ranking released by Global Firepower(GFP), India is ranked as the
4th most powerful military in the world.
·
The United States of America (USA) tops the list followed
by Russia and China in the 2nd and 3rd place respectively.
·
The Military Strength Ranking of GFP evaluates the military
capabilities based on over 60 factors like manpower, equipment, natural
resources, finances, and geography across land, sea, and air.
8.
CHAIRMAN OF EMPLOYEE SELECTION BOARD
·
The Government of MP has appointed Sanjay Bandopadhyay, a 1988-batch IAS officer of MP cadre, as
chairman of the MP Employees Selection Board (MPESB) (earlier known as
Vyapam).
·
The Appointment Committee of Cabinet (ACC) has also approved the
repatriation of Sanjay Bandopadhyay, Chairman of IWAI, to his parent cadre.
9.
PRESIDENT OF GUATEMALA
·
César Bernardo Arévalo de
León,
an anti-corruption leader, was sworn in as President of Guatemala.
·
He is the leader of the social democratic Movimiento Semilla Party.
·
Bernardo Arévalo succeeded Alejandro Giammattei, a leader of the right-wing party Vamos.
·
Guatemala is a Central American country, south of Mexico.
·
Capital – Guatemala City
·
Currency – Guatemalan Quetzal
10. NATIONAL DISASTER RESPONSE FORCE RAISING DAY -19
JANUARY
·
National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) Raising Day is
annually observed across India on 19
January to commemorate the establishment of the NDRF, a distinguished,
unique Force across India functioning under the Ministry of Home Affairs.
·
NDRF Director-General– Atul Karwal
·
Headquarters– New Delhi, Delhi
·
Motto– Sustained Disaster Response
Service
